Animal-trap



(Nd Model.)

T. ALEXANDER.

ANIMAL TRAP.

No. 371,7 Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

WITNESSES %C y ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, PhntwLilhognpher, Washington, a c

' in an open position.

llNrrEn STATES PATENT 1 tries.

TONY ALEXANDER, OF BOGUE CHITTO, MISSISSIPPI.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,728, dated @ctooer 18, 1887.

I Application filed September 3, 1887. Serial No. 248,695. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TONY ALEXANDER, of Bogue Ohitto, in the county of Lincoln and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and Improved Animal-Trap, of which the fol1owing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an animal-trap for which I filed an application for United States patent on the 8th day of J one, 1887, Serial 'No. 240,639.

The object of my invention is to. provide a new and'irnproved animal-trap in which the trigger operates with great ease and certainty.

The invention "consists of hinged catches adapted to engage the jaws or prongs, and of a platform pivoted on the catches and resting against the sides of the jaws when the catches engage the latter.

The invention also consists in the construction and arrangement of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of my improvement Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same on the line to w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my improvement in. a closed position. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the trigger in place on the jaws or prongs on the line y 3 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the same on the line 2 z of Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 5, but showing the trigger disengaged from the jaws.

My improved animal-trap is provided with a base, A, consisting of two side arms, A, and a forwardly-extending curved plate, A ,which is bent upward and downward sufficiently to hold the trap in nearly a horizontal position, as illustrated in Fig. 4. On the baseAis held a post, B, on which are fulcrumed the prongs or jaws O, of the same construction as those illustrated and described in my previous application above referred to. The prongs O are operated on bya spring, D, in the same manner as those shown in my application above mentioned.

Near the ends of the side beams, A, of the base A are formed the upwardlyextending pivots E,on each of which is fulcrumed acatch, F, provided on its upper inner end with a shoulder, F, adapted to engage the top edge of the respective prong or jaw G. On each catch F is pivoted an arm, G, secured to the under side of the platform H,of suitable width and length, and held in a horizontal position when the trap is in an open position.

Each arm G is provided on its front edge with a point, G, adapted to engage the outside of the respective prong 0 when the shoulder F of the catch F engages the top edge of said prong,as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. Each arm G is also provided near its inner end with an offset, G adapted to engage the inner edge of the catch F, so as to prevent the platform H from swinging too far backward when the trigger is disengaged, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

The operation is as follows; The operator presses the spring D downward, so as to be enabled to place the prongs or jaws G in a nearly horizontal position, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The operator now takes hold of the platform H and moves it upward, thereby causing the catches F to swing upward on their pivots E until the shoulders F of the catches engage the top edges of the prongs O. The operator now releases the pressure on the spring D, and the latter, pressing against the fulcrumed ends of the jaws, causes an upward pressure on the jaws or prongs, so that the shoulders F of the catchesF are firmly held in place. It will now be seen that the inner ends, G, of the arms G rest against the outer side of the prongs 0, thus holding the platform H in a central position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The trap is now set, and if an animal steps on the platform H, then the point G presses against the prong 0, thus forming fulerums for the arms G, which are caused, with the platform H, to swing downward, thereby pushing the shoulders F over the top edges of the prongs O, which thus become free and fly upward by the pressure of the spring D.

It will be seen that the catches F are disen' gaged from their prongs G by the action of the platform H and its arms G, which latter push the shoulders F off of the prongs 0. Thus it will be seen that the trigger operates with great ease and certainty.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. In an animal-trap, the combinatiomwith pivoted catches adapted to engage and lock the prongs orjaws in place, of a plat-form provided with arms pivoted on thesaid catchesand serving to disengage the said catches from the prongs or jaws, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an animal-trap, the combination,with the prongs or jaws, of hinged catches adapted to engage the said prongs or jaws, and a platform provided with arms pivoted on the said catches, the arms engaging one side of the prongs, so as to push the catches off the prongs when the animal steps on the platform, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an animal-trap, the combinatiomwith a base provided with upwardly-extending pivots, of prongs fulcrumed on a post held on the said base,aspring for operating the said prongs, catches fulcrumed on the said pivots on the base, and a platform provided with arms pivoted on said catches, substantially as shown and described.

7 TONY ALEXANDER. Witnesses:

E. M. CLARK, G. SEDGWICK. 

